Salt and Pepper Corydoras
Salt and pepper pygmy corydoras are beautiful, small dwarf catfish, hardy and compatible with any peaceful community aquarium inhabitants, and thrives in well planted tanks. They originate from the Upper Orinoco River basin, in slow moving streams and flooded grasslands within Columbia and Venezuela, preferring areas with gentle current. Their small size makes them an excellent choice for nano tanks, keeping the substrate surface clean. They prefer lower lighting, so floating plants and dense plants for some shade are appreciated, and they spend most of their active time foraging on the tank bottom, noodling in the substrate.
- Scientific name: Corydoras Habrosus
- Size: 1 to 1.25 inches
- Lifespan: 3 to 5 years
- Water parameters:
- pH range: 6.2 to 7.5
- Temperature range: 70F to 79F
- Water hardness: 2 to 12 dGH (36-215 ppm), 6 to 10 dKH (70-140 ppm)
- Stability, consistency more important than chasing any "perfect" numbers
- Diet: Omnivorous, flake food, dried or frozen baby brine shrimp or daphnia, well-rounded diet enhances health and colors, do not feed on algae
- Breeding: Female scatters eggs over substrate, then male fertilizes
- Temperament: Peaceful, schooling fish, like to be in groups, but plenty of hiding places in hardscape and plants are desirable
- Water flow: Coming from moving waters, they like gentle yet thorough water flow, well oxygenated but not turbulent
- Filtration: They like clean water with proper balance of nutrients, oxygen, CO2, moderate light, like most aquatic plants, weekly 25% water changes, monitor water conditions regularly